Poehler & Arnett Separate

Of course it’s sad. It’s never anything but sad. Two people who wanted to be together forever don’t want that anymore. It’s always sad.

But also, when I read about the Poehler-Arnett split, two people I’ve never met but, of course, feel like I would like a lot, I get anxious. Why can awesome + awesome not = continued awesome? Twitter wanted to know this too, obviously – when the announcement came through last night, it was clear that anyone with a heart was devastated by this, of all splits.

The obvious answer to the above question, of course, is that nobody is perfect, and the best laid plans, and clichés ad nauseum, et cetera. Yes, you’ve lost one more celebrity couple you would theoretically be friends with. No, this doesn’t have any reflection on what this means for you and your partner – at least not today.

Instead, I’m wondering if this can be one of those rare but balanced situations where, professionally anyway, nobody’s the bad guy. Poehler and Arnett are equally respected comedic presences. They are part of the same large circle that winds up in fun projects and side efforts together. They are, of course, on the same network.

Can this be one of those amicable splits like Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel, who appear, outwardly, to be super-fine with running into the other person all the time? Awards shows and benefits? How do you map out the “safe zones” of an industry you share so closely? Does David Letterman have to pick a side? I suspect there are a whole lot of friends in common here. So will there be a split down the middle? A time-sharing program? Canadians to the left? Or is that all just a bit too civil, for even the objectively awesome?